WORLD ECONOMICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 185, 8 August 1927, Page 17

WORLD ECONOMICS.

GATHERING AT GENEVA.

CONFERENCE FROM THE INSIDE.

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[Written tor the '-Auckland Sf.ir" l,y DR. JAMES ITirjHT. M.A., Litt/D., Canterbury ( olli'gi .; iv« T.I jvpryon* Ktww* th.it Geneva, one of the cities in the ti"ut rnlised State. c f Switzerland, anl convenient ly sitimtcd in relation to the r,,, in tric=i «,f West and Central liump*. i* now the fjrrat. chnnpjap of iflins and p'aiH f,>r the politloel end economic st nn-ture of world lociety. This yc.ir tbero are, over fifty fttJl-dreM international conferences or eongW , ' , * meeting there, not to mention the periodical "r occasional meetings of iiittrmtional committees and counoi'e lutaidiiry to many of the conferences ind conferences which circumtttnete of the hour have summoned— nick »» that r>n n.ival disarmament — fiaee the list con-iiHed wns drawn up mrly in the renr. -Must of these meet infi bring a lar^" , iiifliiv of visitors into tie city, it ,va:, estimated that the World Economic. Conference accounted (of at leapt three thousand.

A Pleasant Environment. Geneva provides a pWsinc environjwnt for conferences. It is not in the tuck Dio»t frequented by tourists to StitMrland, yet is a charming city, cornpet with beautiful building* set for tlio most part amidst groves and avenues of till deneely-foliaged trees on the ehorvs tb»t skirt Lake. Lomnn at its narrow outlit into "the blue water* of the arrowy Jhofl*." The, okl town, with part of its nil remaining. is rirh in historical assocations from Caesar's day down to the lipinp of the Alabama Arbitration Treaty; the newer town on the other side of the lake and rivor equipped with "all eed«rn conveniences and luxuries," derated to internationalism, and the nerti» of "the World State," i* providing rich historical material for tlie wonder udadmiration of posterity. The climate in* (tenia! as the- prospect is Arriving at the frontier on May Day and proceeding up the vnlley to ileneva, a XewZealnnder fresh from the humid it ml mtirky «kies of Knglnnd. at, nm-o fools lit beau, to warm thr sunshine, so clear ild tonic the nir, so familiar the aspect of tie mountain* with the swift snow nter rivers, the gorges, the vivid greens Md deep browns, the senrred faces, the itanrwrinp patches of snow and ice rtmding out from the deep blue-black ol the ihflilowy gullies. The native jnadeur of the hills and mountains dominates the. view to the distant otowver whose attention, distracted from tk cultivated slopes nnd valleys, is con-' MBtrated on the bolder characteri«tifs «drt*O|rnises only thr elements of like■H to the younger and wilder tnountlilll of the Southern Alps. The Wither during the Conference did not Wi« the promise of that lovely first of H»7. despite a few days' mujrjrv nnd fl»rv»ting hent, comparable with thnt. of « Auckland north -ejmter or a f'anter-j lwry "»uppresned" nor'-wester at their •erst, t dreary Any when T.a Fise blow itg down the" lake (billed the frutmv •Eroded the eye, and numhod the brain, md several thunderstorms vivjdlv ro'•lUnjjf memories of Hyron , * pictures of 4i thunder and lijrhtning alonjj the hili« «f Lake I^enmn.

A Unique Assembly. The Worlfl hVoiioniic Conf.-i nice was • unique assembly, consisting of repre•etitives of a greater number of States j«B h*d ever before assisted at a conwmee. There were over two hundred •Mgatei from more tlinn fifty States, •Mluding, of course, Rt-wrnl States out- «« the League of Nation*, aueh as the ftion of Socialist Soviet Republics, the fc&A. of Mexico. Moot of the State? "»»t full delegation* of livo members •W, and in nearly every rase the deletion was accompanied by numerous **m«rie« and experts. "['miice, for in addition to her delegation. •Wt thirty-fivn experts, anionjf them that f*" 'tudtnt of Anglo-Saxon peoples end ■"Muttons, Professor Anore Siegfried. « *ell known in New Zealand for his "w en the Dominion. Polish and J*™o-BJovnkinn experts were almost .15 •werous. The. expert> function was JWWy' advisory to hi-, national j™>, but he eou!fl sit \ n fommitl.-r.. net in full conference. Work of the Conference. Tli« Conference opened on May 4. in J Salle de In IMonr.afion, whi'rh in all parts with delegate*. journal is t<. representing the «l new.papf.r, ~f the wnr i ( \ j an j „ '» members of th.» general public for li«, tt r ° Om <-r " l,r| up f,,,inf, - Thf "ffi-^ 1 m»«^ e Wer " Frrnrh Rnil hut ii tK*r " nah, ° ,f> ""epithprroiiMspciik "* ,iv " a privilepo of jjTetHeGeriiinn »ii"mber«i fully availe,: 2J"7 H - K'H'lisl, «„ , iacf | hy ,;,,. ■JWity of tho Scandinavians, Ih,> •Pjneie, , n ,l Serbian-., hii: thTi v rr " pm ! ,l, ' , y<d French. Sine ill l«*i in P l «'»»r.v ronference wer toZ i '" with copies di••■ JJrtJ during dMivery, the speaker fct«? 7 rPr ' ,iv '' fl ll,! 'o attention fr-uv lUv tl H, ,nd th " translations, espci 3.1 ,* in Kneli.h. were lost in l':r •ffclt talk ani the tram;. tliT™. 0 ' toWnrf l the doors. Fro;.! wl?" 1 "* ''." P»«'irday nl/jhf. ther' fr 0m * P roc 'Mion of delejrnN-s to an-" "» kf / < " tr " m flitvioui to expoii' ' llttutlmJ ■ frat "' l " , f,f ,hp eetinonii'mjyj. ,n f,l eir rntinfries, with soinf

. Tarift Barriers. ■*U oJ Or L y ' twn *" rh "Mr* , "* , * w «r* IHwlmi * e ,I,r fonfprenrp nhowr ! fktZlJ" 10 "** 'n tho.ft of Profess ,r *rrC » flimo,,!, Swwlieh economist, ™ n Sioniern. prrsidont of tln< ' "«h» b ( ' o,lnril «f (icnnanv; Sir • , fhe K.-i.ii, im i»t": the tu kIA i f , '" , I>rir " -e Valerien Obo■MmSPw, " nd M ' Sokol- , •«*• tk« r M. to who»» initi- ! HuL p Lonf>r «n'"» wii largely due. i *T afcl ITul TOn Siftnene gave *4 lMJ^**r iition " of the liberal «Wk » "■''•* "<- I '™l" of eronom-r N»Wj , ,0 B, '"£ condition-. ,01,1 were u... ~i ri;V hurrU-rA t-J tt »Otk i* ,ni,!,tfMlv a'l-ilysw «f fnw ' ¥r. l A - 4 ~' c °nteinpo,arr ep., B oinic life, j jA ~ : ;rst':;."'?

■pre-uur. institution* and conditions; the final resolutions of th* Conference show Plainly at many points the .trong inHuenee exerted by this and oth« contribution, of the Cambridge economist

Th« appearance nr the Russian deI'Rate, on Friday, the third day, was the r-rras.on of *rcat excitement and int*r'•t, both wjtl.out and within the ConIγ 0 "?'' tnc former mainly because of j r, ! bert,an "ituation created by the absurdly detailed and thorough precautions which the Swiss authorities insisted on providing for their personal safety. Th. two speeches mad*, in plenary Conference on Saturday, whilst uncompromising in their adherence to Soviet ideal*, aimed at depietine the farts and leadip* principles of the economic situation in Russia, and rerngnwd the possibility of a practical understanding between the socialist "jstem of the Soviet republics H nd the capitalist system of Europe. M. Lotiehrur's effort, -was from the point of view of style, the outstanding oratorical feat of the Conference, delivered with ready eloquence, wealth of appropriate gesture admirably clear, and illumined by flashes of wit and humour. Re summarised and criticised some of the more important proposals foreshadowed by previous speakers, affirmed the necessity of lowering tariffs, creating international agreements in the shape of syndicates, trusts or cartels, and of keeping a due balance between industry and agriculture.